This year’s Christmas holiday is going to be a little different from previous ones. Christmas in 2020 will involve not doing most of the things we usually do on Christmas. We associate some of those activities with Christmas itself. The occurrence of one without the other is unheard of. Most people already anticipate having the least interesting Christmas they have had in a while. Luckily, Christmas this year doesn’t have to be boring for you and the few people you can be with. Here are some ideas to help you have a Merry Christmas while still being pandemic-responsible:

Here are some ideas to help you have a Merry Christmas 2020 while still being pandemic-responsible:

• Send them a cute Christmas card this year. This one is really simple and cost-effective. Since you won’t be cozying up next to your cousins this year to exchange those inside jokes, you can always make a card with some paper, crayons or paints, some glue, scissors and a creative mind. If you’re not able to make one yourself, you can always buy some nice Christmas cards from the store and personalize them with a hearty Christmas 2020 message to bring warmth and light into the lives of the people who will receive them.

 

• Have a Christmas video call with everyone. Here’s the trick, don’t set an agenda for this video call. It’s a replication of the morning routine on Christmas morning when everyone is getting coffee and waking up to the day. To sweeten the deal, set the starting time as a range (10am-10:15am), rather than a specific time (10am). That way, there’s no pressure for anyone to be on time and people have more freedom to act. You might not get everyone to join the video call but whoever joins will definitely have a lot of fun. Topics of discussion should not be an issue. Let them come spontaneously and remember to spread good cheer to everyone.

 

• Watch a Christmas movie at the same time. Even if you’re in different places, you can always agree on a time to start watching the movie. There are many Christmas movies you can watch. Take suggestions from everyone and decide as a unit what movie to watch. Make it fun, not too long and don’t exclude children in the watch party. Most groups of people have groups and channels on WhatsApp and other communication platforms that can allow you to have a live chat going on as the movie unfolds on your screens.

 

• Make them a special Christmas 2020 advent calendar with a twist in your own style. An Advent calendar is not an actual date calendar although you could do that too. An advent calendar is a special countdown in anticipation of Christmas. It doesn’t matter how many days you choose. Could be 25 days of Christmas or even 3 Days of Christmas. The advent calendar could be wrapped things, like letters, candy, decorations for their tree. If you decide on x days of Christmas advent calendar, you send x number of items in one package (as you would a care package) so they have something for every day till Christmas. It’s like spending a little part of the festive season with them.

 

• Team up to make a scrapbook of Christmas memories from previous holidays. People can contribute items such as pictures, ticket stubs, maps, etc. from previous Christmas visits to one another. You can make a physical scrapbook and have one person collect and curate the items or you can start a new WhatsApp or Telegram group called ‘Scrapbook’ where everyone can share their digital scrapbook contributions.

 

• Have Christmas presents delivered to your loved ones from online shopping websites. If you’ve always exchanged presents during Christmas holidays, then online shopping might just be what you need. Shop on Amazon, Etsy, Jumia, or any other e-commerce platform you frequent. You can even choose to have the presents delivered on a specific date.

 

• Play online games together. You don’t have to be a gamer to play simple online games with your loved ones. Whether its on miniclips.com, Play Station, X Box, tablet or mobile, there are countless fun games you can spend time with your loved ones playing over Christmas.